Lost Silence
by SilverKitsune1
Summary: The beginning of the OVA's shows us that Chichiri and Tasuki have been traveling together since the season ended. A short fic on how this arrangement might have happened.


The eldest of them I should have beent he one

All standard disclaimers apply to this fic. I don't own Fushigi Yugi, never will. All rights to it belong to Pioneer and whatever company owns this is Japan. Any attempts to sue me will result in one very pissed off fan.

:WARNING WARNING: This fic contains spoilers for the entire Fushigi Yugi season, and takes place after Miaka's world has been restored and Chichiri and Tasuki have been sent back into the book.Later on in the OVA's (or are they called OAV's :scratches head:) we find out that Tasuki and Chichiri have been traveling together ever since everything ended, and I always just wondered how that happened. 

Lost Silence

By Silverkitsune

As the eldest of them, I should have been the one to die. Nuriko, Mitsuakake, Chiriko, Hotohori, they were all too young, much too young to have gone though this. By all rights it should have been me. Not Chiriko, the only one of us with a family left to go home to. Not Mitsuake with his knowledge in medicine, his Highness with a wife, a child, a county to take care of, or Nuriko with his absolute taste for life. No, by all rights it should have been me, the one with no home to return to. Even with nothing to go back to, I still left Konan today. His Highnesses' ministers have gained enough control of the state to not need me around anymore, and Tasuki set out with the rest of the Mt. Rikaku bandits earlier this morning. It just felt like the right time.

I tried to leave alone, but before I could even walk out of the palace gates Tama leapt onto my shoulder. He mewed at me, rubbing his whiskers against my face and purring. With the departure of the bandits, the palace had become still, silent. Beautiful but lonely, and the low rumbling sound that filled my ears was a much-needed noise. I scratched the little cat behind his ears, scolding myself for forgetting about him, and walked on.

~

The two of us are now about a mile away from the cities main entrance, Tama still curled up around my shoulders, sleeping I would guess. 

It's quiet here, but notthe same way the palace was. Here the rustling trees and birds are sounds that make them selves known, but it's not enough, and already I find myself missing the sound and clatter of Konan. It will take time before I can become used to this lack of noise. I let my mind wander as I walk, remembering Tamahome and his recurring fights with Tasuki, becoming so loud that the very walls seemed to shake, the crashing that could be heard throughout the palace, as Nuriko would send one of them sailing across the rooms, Miaka's cheerful laughter at the sight of the three of them. 

Tama straightens up suddenly, breaking me out of my memories as his claws momentarily slip into my shoulder.

"Tama!" I protest as the cat leaps down, bounding over to a tall shape as it pushes it's way free of the bushes.

"Tasuki no da?" I ask. His face is flushed and streaked, the bags under his eyes more apparent because of it. 

"Ah, hey Chichiri."He mumbles rubbing his face with the back of his coat sleeve.

"I was sure you went back to Mt Rikaku with your friend."

"Yeah well." He looks down, one hand fidgeting nervously with his drawn tessen. "Me and Koji, we kinda talked about that, well as close to talking as me and Koji get, and he's better at the whole leading thing than I would be, so he's going back and I'm still here because I don't really, I mean I just-"Tasuki stumbling over words, something I never would have thought the loud mouth capable of. "I just sort of wanted to know where you were going."

"I don't really know yet," I tell him. "I'll probably just go back to wandering,what I did before all of this no da."

"Yeah, yeah I thought you might do that." He responds, rubbing his foot in the dirt, reminding me of a small child wanting to ask his parents a very difficult question.

"Hey Chichiri." He finally says, keeping his head down, and intently studying the scuff- marks across his boots. "I was wondering if maybe you might, ya know, let me come with you?"

I can only stare at him, shock painted across both my mask and the face underneath. 

"You don't have to say yes, or anything like that," He pushes out quickly. "I just, well I don't really want to go back with Koji. Not yet anyway, and I don't, I'm not really sure how to act with the guys, because they're not you guys. An I'd rather stay around here with you guys, except all our guys are dead," his voice falters on the word dead, but pushes on before it can do any lasting damage. "and it, you see I-I -aw damn it."

"Tasuki I-"

" Look Chichiri," He tosses out looking up, a wide forced grin pinned across his face."Forget I asked O.K? It was stupid of me."

"Tasuki if you just-" 

"I know you're an important guy to a lot of people." He interrupts, still giving me the fake fanged grin. "You don't need me hanging around and messing stuff up." He turns on his heels, looking as though he wants to start running, but won't allow himself the movements.

"Tasuki." I call after. "Do you remember what I told you in Miaka's world? I said that you were a real hot head, and that hasn't changed even after all we've been through."

He turns back to me slowly, his eyes temporarily battling on whether to become angry or hurt before finding a safe middle ground in confusion. " I told you that I was brought up to be polite, and courteous. Words you obviously never took the time to learn. Well, here's your first lesson. In a conversation, it's considered well-mannered to allow a person to finish speaking, something you apparently need practice in."

He stands there, looking at me.

"So I suppose," I continue."That it might be better if you did come with me. Just so I can knock a few manners into you, before that rash behavior gets you into more trouble then you can handle."

He blinks, and then smiles at me. A real smile this time, so full fanged and wide that it erases all confusion from his features.

"Oh man will you love having me around Chichiri! You haven't traveled till you've traveled with Tasuki!!" He swings down, scooping Tama up. "The inns, the food, the SAKE!!" 

A part of me gives a warning. A warning that with Tasuki here, the life of silence, of thought, and of peace, the life of a monk, the life that I held before, will be gone; possibly forever.

"Hey Chichiri speaking of booze, don't you owe me a round?"

"What! That was in Miaka's world!"

"Miaka's world, our world, doesn't matter. You owe me a round a booze."

I find myself not caring.


End file.
